HUNTED (Eternal Guardians 8.75 / 1001 Dark Nights) by Elisabeth Naughton-Review and Excerpt Tour
HUNTED
Eternal Guardians 8.75 / 1001 Dark Nights
by Elisabeth Naughton
Release Date: June 27, 2017
Genre: adult, contemporary, paranormal, fantasy romance
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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date June 27, 2017
Erebus – Dark in every sense of the word, a skilled and lethal warrior, and sinfully sexy by design.
Since the dawn of modern man, Erebus was Hades’ secret weapon in the war between the immortal realms. Until Hades lost the minor god in a bet to his older brother Zeus. For the last hundred years, Erebus has trained Zeus’s Siren warriors in warfare and the sexual arts. But he’s never stopped longing for freedom. For a life filled with choice. And lately, he also longs for one Siren who entranced him during their steamy seduction sessions. A nymph he quickly became obsessed with and who was ripped from his grasp when her seduction training was complete. One he’s just learned Zeus has marked for death because she failed the last Siren test.
Before Erebus can intercede on the nymph’s behalf, she escapes Olympus and flees into the human realm. In a fit of rage, Zeus commands Erebus to hunt her down and kill her. Erebus sees his opportunity to finally go after what he wants, but he’s torn. Freedom means nothing if the Siren at the center of his fantasies doesn’t truly crave him back. Because defying the gods will unleash the fury of Olympus, and if he chooses her over his duty, whether she joins him in exile or not, the hunter will become the hunted.
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REVIEW: HUNTED by Elisabeth is the latest installment (#8.75) in Elisabeth Naughton’s contemporary, adult ETERNAL GUARDIANS paranormal, romance series based in Greek mythology, prophecy and history, as well as the latest addition to the multi-authored 1001 Dark Nights series. The modern day heroes –the Argonauts-are descended from the Gods of Olympus whom fate has decreed the Eternal Guardians on Earth. This is the god of darkness Erebus, and siren/nymph Seraphine’s (Sera) story line. HUNTED can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty but I recommend reading the series in order as there is an ongoing theme and story line running throughout.
Told from dual third person perspectives (Erebus and Sera) HUNTED is a second chance story line that focuses on the rekindling romance between Erebus and Sera, and the Sera’s battle to stay one step ahead of Zeus. Eighteen months earlier Sera had been trained in the art of seduction by the man who would steal her heart-Erebus- but Erebus made no promised for the future as his seduction of the Siren was all a part of the woman’s siren training. Fast forward to present day wherein Erebus has been ordered to retrieve a wayward Siren who had stolen something that Zeus wanted back. Enter Seraphine-the woman Erebus has not forgotten-and Erebus’s ultimate target. What ensues is the rebuilding relationship between Erebus and Sera, and the couple’s battle to remain together in spite of their promise and their pledge. Entering into the world of the Eternal guardian warriors-the Argonauts- finds our couple at odds as to their future, and the difficult task placed upon our hero’s head. Erebus knows that to defy Zeus’s command he will be unable to return to Olympus and remaining behind will place another target on his back.
HUNTED continues to follow Zeus’s struggle to complete the Orb of Kronus- a circular disk, designed by Prometheus, that holds all four elements, and the deity who is in possession of the Orb has the ability to start the war to end all wars. Zeus had previously stolen the Orb of Kronus from the Argoleans but the water element remains elusive, and Zeus suspects is has been hidden in Argolea, where the Olympians –and thusly Zeus- are unable to cross.
The character and world development is colorful and detailed-the ongoing premise and story line regarding the Orb of Kronus is intricate and detailed; the developing suspense is memorable and impressive.
HUNTED is a fast paced story line steeped in Greek mythology and prophecy blended into a modern day tale of gods seeking power and revenge against those they consider less than worthy. Several of the previous story line couples, Argonauts and gods play secondary and supporting roles-Erebus and Sera have found a permanent home with the Eternal Guardians and the Argonauts. The premise is imaginative and exciting; the romance is passionate, erotic and fated; the characters are colorful, inspiring and intense. HUNTED and the ETERNAL GUARDIANS series will captivate your imagination.
Copy supplied for review
Reviewed by Sandy
Long minutes passed where she continued to tremble, and it felt as if his heart had taken up permanent residency in his throat. But slowly, as the heat of his body seeped into hers, her shakes slowly subsided, and she relaxed against him. He took that as a good sign. Lifting the shirt from her wound, he breathed easier when he saw the blood flow had lessened. She was going to have a nice-sized goose egg, but swelling outward from the impact was better than swelling inside the brain, and he knew that was an even better sign.
His pulse inched down. Glancing at her familiar face resting against his shoulder, he brushed a lock of wet hair back from her cheek, and as he did something warm and sweet slid through his chest. An emotion he hadn’t felt before. A yearning that wasn’t just sexual.
The feeling was so strong, so foreign, it threw him off kilter. He didn’t have emotions. He was a god who’d learned long ago that emotions were dangerous. And yet… Somehow he recognized the feelings taking up space inside him now had been spawned by fear. Not fear that she was going to drop to her death and that he was going to miss out on the rough, hot sex he’d been envisioning since the moment he’d recognized her in the woods, but fear that something bad would happen to her. That he’d never see her again. That he would lose her.
Sweat broke out along his forehead, and an odd tingle started in his chest. He told himself it was her heat making him feel weird. Not denial. Not anything else. But even that didn’t sound right, and he had no idea what the hell he was supposed to do next.
“Sera.” The word was a whisper, a plea, a demand. “Sera, wake up and look at me.” He needed to see her eyes. Needed her to explain what was happening to him. Needed to know if she felt it too.
She didn’t move. He knew she was breathing. Knew she wasn’t in any real danger. But the danger to him was suddenly all he could focus on. “Agápi. Open your eyes. Look at me, baby.”
She sighed and snuggled closer. But the reaction didn’t fire him up and make him ache to take her as he expected. It brought a calm over him that was more unsettling than the fear he’d felt before.
He didn’t know what was happening.
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Before topping multiple bestseller lists—including those of the New York Times, USA Today, and the Wall Street Journal—Elisabeth Naughton taught middle school science. A voracious reader, she soon discovered she had a knack for creating stories with a chemistry of their own. The spark turned into a flame, and Naughton now writes full-time. Besides topping bestseller lists, her books have been nominated for some of the industry’s most prestigious awards, such as the RITA and Golden Heart Awards from Romance Writers of America, the Australian Romance Reader Awards, and the Golden Leaf Award. When not dreaming up new stories, Naughton can be found spending time with her husband and three children in their western Oregon home.
Great review, Sandy. This is a series I wish I started long ago.
Great review Sandy. Have tried to buy it but it isn’t at B&N.
Fran, you won a Kindle from us during our anniversary promotion. You can now buy and read all of these books??
Excellent review, thanks Sandy. I just started reading this series.
wonderful review, sandy. i never read this author, but it sounds very good.
Another great review, thanks Sandy. I have been reading this series from the beginning and love the novella length installments.
Great review, Sandy. I always like Elisabeth Naughton’s books.
Terrific review, Sandy. So many of these 1001 Nights books, though there are some great authors.
Thanks for the fantastic review. I have only read a few books from this series but am hoping to catch up one day.